- Ramelow calls for non-aggression pact with Russia
Thuringia's Minister President Bodo Ramelow calls for a mid-term European peace order that includes Russia. "All participating states must sign a non-aggression pact and form a defense community focused on resolving conflicts on the European continent," the Left Party politician told the Funke media group's newspapers.
Ramelow acknowledged that such a step was currently unthinkable. "Of course, that's not possible with a dictatorship, a repression apparatus, and (President Vladimir) Putin is also not a representative of freedom and peace. But we must keep the country in view – and support those who want change in Russia." The war against Ukraine and the massive repression in his own country could unleash forces in Russian society. "One should trust that."
Ramelow assured that he was not against NATO, but for a reorganization of European defense. "Germany needs a defense army that deserves its name. Therefore, I am firmly in favor of equipping the Bundeswehr well. But we must finally think of Europe as a whole, and Russia is part of that."
Bodo Ramelow warns of "smoldering conflicts that Putin can ignite at any time"
The Minister President emphasized the risks of the current situation. Moldova and Georgia should be taken into the EU, despite unresolved territorial conflicts in both countries. "In the Moldovan region of Transnistria, all the weapons that the Soviet Army had in the GDR are stored. That's smoldering conflicts that Putin can ignite at any time," Ramelow warned.
He also pointed to the NATO brigade led by Germany, which is to be permanently stationed in Lithuania. "And in the Duma in Russia, there is an application to abolish the sovereignty of Lithuania. If that is dealt with, it can go very quickly, and we are right in the middle of the war."
In Thuringia, a new state parliament will be elected on September 1. In polls, the AfD was recently ahead of the CDU and also ahead of the parties of the red-red-green minority government. The AfD, like the Alliance for Progress (BSW), strictly opposes arms deliveries to Ukraine and calls for negotiations with Russia.
Bodo Ramelow's proposal for a European peace order includes Russia, urging participating states to sign a non-aggression pact and establish a defense community focused on resolving conflicts on the continent. Expressing his hope for change in Russia, Ramelow warns of "smoldering conflicts that Putin can ignite at any time," particularly in Transnistria, where weapons from the Soviet Army are stored.
